Fact Sheet: A Steep Learning Curve

Jane meets designer, Ross Ubergang, and explores a chic garden where he's transformed a tricky site into a liveable space using recycled local materials

Presenter: Jane Edmanson, 24/10/2015

SERIES 26 Episode 33

Jane visits a young garden designer who's tackled a very tricky site

In Newtown, Geelong, 75 kilometres south-west of Melbourne, is an extraordinary garden designed by Ross Uebergang. He's used recycled materials to turn a tricky site into a chic, liveable garden.

The site needed a functional design as it was limited by a very steep rise - 20 metres higher than the road below. Jane reckons it's one of the most challenging sites she's ever been on - but that wasn't Ross' first concern. "I think it's really important to get to know the client first," he says. "They're going to be the ones living in it for the next 20 years, not you, so you can grab their personality and include them - bring them into the experience. I think it's really important."

"We did have to pull out a few tricks," Ross tells Jane. "One of them was to put down some chicken wire to hold the mulch in place while the plants established, so we didn't have weeds popping up. Then we started pegging down the rosemary so that it would re-root off the stems and now we've got roots covering the whole of the surface, so that the soil hopefully doesn't disappear on us in a big storm."

The plant choice was also very careful. "We picked hardy ones!" says Ross. "That was really important, so some Proteaceous plants - the King Protea (Protea cynaroides) and some Leucospermums (Leucospermum cordifolium) . Up the front, we've got some rushes, like the Ficinia nodosa (Knobby Club-rush) which is a great indigenous plant to the area and also Correa alba (White Correa) which is indigenous to the western plains and a lot of other places around Victoria."

He started at the front of the block, where there were already some plants in place. "We had these lovely Acacias (River Wattle - Acacia cognata) at the back which became the basis for this area and we tried to either match them or contrast them. In front of them there's a wave of Dietes collected from different parts of the site and consolidated here. In front of them are some Libertias (Libertia ixioides 'Goldfinger'). Really tough. I'm very impressed with how they've held up."

Ross has also used the concept of 'borrowed landscape' very deliberately. Part of one level literally has a wooden frame as part of a wall that 'frames' the Barwon River. "Often you're trying to hide something - like an ugly apartment block - but for us it was to capture this view and make that the winner for this part of the garden."

His love of timber is evident in the choice of hardscaping materials. "I like to use natural materials," he tells Jane. "We were lucky enough to get this timber for the seating from a local pier. The family is into lifesaving and ironman competitions, so it was a really great connection for them."

The owners have made their own mark with timber, creating a wonderful, jigsaw-like wooden sculptural screen. "It's leftover timber from the deck that got built up the top before I got on to the project and it was actually the owners of the house, so I saw this as an opportunity for them to put their little stamp on the garden."

At the top level of the cliff and the back of the house is a deck, flanked by more timber screens. "I think they're really important for this spot because we've got the dining room and the kitchen one way, the view to the Barwon River another, so the screens make a feature instead of a blank wall. It's the same timber as in the lower seating area, but this time we've cut it into a lot smaller pieces!"

Ross has simple goals. "I haven't been in the industry that long and I'm so humbled by everyone that's been around to help me throughout this. I just want to get on and keep doing things. A garden is somewhere to relax and be yourself - remember all those things that you forget when you're just racing through life." "

Information contained in this fact sheet is a summary of material included in the program. If further information is required, please contact your local nursery or garden centre.

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